Rebutia padcayensis Rausch 

🌱 Morphology
   A small cactus with a globose-depressed body, green to greyish-green, reaching approximately 2.5 cm in height and up to 4 cm in diameter. It forms numerous offsets and can develop into compact clusters. It has 14–17 barely marked ribs, divided into small tubercles. The areoles are whitish to brownish and typically produce 7–15 fine, yellowish radial spines with brownish tips that turn greyish with age; a central spine occasionally appears. The spines measure approximately 3–20 mm.

🌍 Distribution, habitat, and family
It is distributed in southern Bolivia, especially in the department of Tarija, and reaches northwestern Argentina. It lives in high-altitude mountain environments, approximately between 3,000 and 4,400 m, subject to high solar radiation, strong temperature fluctuations, and dry periods. It belongs to the Cactaceae family.

❄️ Temperature · USDA Zone 8b
It tolerates minimum temperatures down to −7 ºC when kept dry and with well-acclimatized specimens. Although it comes from high altitudes, it must be protected from persistent humidity during cold spells.

☀️ Lighting
It needs plenty of light and several hours of direct sun to maintain compact growth and encourage flowering. During active growth, an approximate integral of 20–30 mol·m⁻²·day⁻¹ DLI PAR is recommended, with progressive acclimatization to intense sun.

💧 Growth cycle and watering
Winter rest. Keep completely dry during the winter. In spring, resume watering, preferably abundant and spaced out, allowing the substrate to dry out completely before watering again. During active growth, it tolerates more frequent waterings, always with rapid drainage and excellent ventilation. Its high-mountain origin makes it especially important to avoid excess humidity combined with low temperatures.

🌸 Flowering
It flowers from 3 years of age. The flowers appear laterally, near the base of the body, and are extraordinarily large in relation to the size of the plant, reaching approximately 3–4.5 cm in length and diameter. They can exhibit red tones with a white throat, orange, or yellow. The floral tube and the ovary are practically naked, a characteristic trait of this Rebutia group.

🌿 Nutrition
During the active growth period, a fertilizer with a high content of assimilable calcium and low nitrogen levels is recommended, such as Desert CHOICE® Cactaceae, applied once a month when watering. Before flowering, it can be supplemented with Desert CHOICE® Flowering.

This is an inimitable xerophyte grown in Madrid in a technological square pot, with the substrate activated by mycorrhizal fungi and biofungicides.

9x9 cm pot